College and Time Management
In order to be effective and efficient when in college students must cultivate personal time management skills. People with good time management skills are usually able to function exceptionally well even when under extreme pressures. Good time management skills enable you to take control of your college workload and your life. This is easier said than done; so, for those struggling with this issue, here are some helpful tips to help you re-direct yourself.
Focus on the results you are getting and not on how overwhelmed you are. So many people live their days in a flurry of activities with little to show for it; no wonder frustration and stress levels are sky high so much of the time and people feel immobilized. Stress and frustration will do this. Concentrate your efforts on the things that matter the most.
How long do you spend every day on unimportant things that distract you from your task at hand which is success in college? How often do you wish that the days were longer and that if you only had more time you could accomplish so much more? If this thinking is pervading your thoughts, then you need to start setting goals by keeping a schedule and making to-do lists. By doing this you will be much better organized, reliable and effective.
Overcome procrastination from the outset. Procrastination can become a way of life and will only stymie and frustrate you. Learn to start projects promptly , set objectives and keep a check-off list as you accomplish each task. This will help prevent completing tasks at the last minute or constantly asking for extensions.
Prioritizing what you need to do and accomplish is especially important. Without prioritization, you may be working very hard and feeling like you are getting nowhere. This is where a “to do” list comes in. But it cannot be a random list, it must be structured for maximum effectiveness. Set your list up strategically in any way that makes sense to you (most important to least important, easiest to hardest etc.) so that when deadlines are approaching you won’t find yourself totally frustrated trying to get something critical done at the last minute.
Having a plan and knowing how to use your time wisely may be the keys to your success in college. Time management is an essential skill that helps you keep your workload and life under control. Of course, with your time management skills in place, you are ensuring that your stress levels are kept to a minimum and that you are working in a focused and effective way. Congratulations!!
Sue Behlmar writes eduaction related articles for the American Educational Guidance Center. Subjects of her articles include online colleges, financial aid and online degrees most likely to lead to career advancement.
Developing Self Discipline for Success
It has been proven that those people who accomplish more and are respected more have the ability to delay gratification. Think about who we respect – doctors, professors, writers, black belts, successful business people. All of these have made sacrifices to get to where they are today.
We all want discipline – here are som tricks to get you on track.
1 – I avoid temptation. I simply do not put myself in a situation where I am tempted. Often bad habits are associated with a situation, location or circumstance. For example, go to a pub and you are likely to drink beer. Go to a tea house and you are likely to drink tea.
2 – I have more self discipline when I take time to plan. Planning for me is part of the key. The main example of this – I pack my lunch. If I don’t I tend to go out and eat fast food since I am always in a hurry.
3 – Set goals. The act of setting goals starts them in motion. The more you revisit them, the more you keep on track.
4 – Monitor yourself. I do this by keeping a journal and writing what I do and don’t do. It keeps me on track.
5 – Talk to yourself. I use a number of phrases to keep me on task. One of them is “back to work”. It seems strange but simply saying this to myself (people already think I am strange enough that they don’t have to hear me talking to myself)
6 – Hire a personal trainer. No – not just for working out (unless that is one of your goals) but a personal trainer on the other goals you want to succeed on. It is surprising how well this works.
7 – Increase to pain of not doing something. Simple – do not allow yourself to do what you find pleasurable until you complete the tough job.
8 – Like the past point, add rewards to getting things done. What I have found is often the rewards are long term (like getting a university degree) but you need instant motivation so reward yourself for doing that paper or reading that textbook now.
9 – I use the mantra “successful people do tough things” I am a successful person so that drives me to do the tough things.
10 – Tell other people your goals. If your goal is to stop something (like smoking), your friends and enemies alike will enjoy pointing out when you are failing. If your goal is a positive like reading a book per week, tell your positive, supportive friends – they will help prod you and support you.
11 – It is all about habits. “We are the product of what we repeatedly do” – Aristotle. Habits do not even take work. You just do them. I suspect you do not even have to think to brush your teeth. You just do it. It is a habit.
12 – Create systems that work for you. For me it is all about the systems I organize in my life. Good systems can support success habits.
The beauty of self discipline is it can be learned. Start today. Make your list and start your action plan.
To buy my Time Management Book and to find other articles on success and success habits visit www.jimestill.com.
The Benefits Of Using Employee Schedule Software
For workplaces that make use of numerous varying schedules, it can be useful to have something to keep everything organized. A great way to do this is to use employee schedule software. The software comes in different styles and makes scheduling much easier than before. If this seems like an idea that may be helpful, consider some of the following points about the software.
This option can be of great help not only to employers, but also to employees as well. The employers can use the software to organize various schedules at work and notify the workforce. Shifts can be arranged and edited conveniently and quickly. If you have multiple employees that are working shifts, this can also be noted in the scheduling software as well. Allowing employees access to the software afterward makes sure that everyone is up to date on any changes in the schedule.
For employees this can be great for gaining extra shifts or switching shifts with someone. Many employees would rather handle shift matters via a log in from a site or the software itself instead of having to call their work to try to change their schedule or find out what a current schedule is. The use of the software also ends the problem of losing any schedules that have previously been printed out or dealing with missed voice mails updating shifts.
If you are concerned about keeping track of days or hours that have been worked, the software can be used to note this information as well. This can be useful if you need this information for any documentation for your business. Employees can enjoy this feature because it makes it easier for those who have to fill out their own time sheets or other paperwork associated with hourly information.
Typical price can vary depending on the style of the software that is chosen. In most cases the employer will pay for the use of the software for the company. However, if the employees also need to use it as required by their job, then they may have to pay a portion of the price as well. It depends on the policies of the company involved overall.
In consideration of the many options that are available with employee schedule software, it is important to examine their different strengths and weaknesses. This can be used to help you decide which titles will be best for your job or business. When you have narrowed it down to a few different types, you can begin to consider comparing prices for good value.
Clearly, the use of such software is beneficial to everyone involved, whether they are an employer or an employee. Since it allows everyone to view the schedule clearly or alter it, there is no question about when shifts end or begin. This means no confusion about schedule changes and less missed days in the schedule for workers at their jobs.
The above are just some general reasons that employee schedule software can be of great use to anyone in the workforce. There are numerous styles available with multiple uses, so it is important to consider the options thoroughly. If you believe that it could be a beneficial option at your job, consider doing some research to find the software that is best for your company.
Make the scheduling of your human resources efficient and a breeze by using online employee scheduling that enables you to communicate work schedules to all of your employees. Our employee schedule maker will streamline human resources for your company.
Trying Something New
I have not been able to keep pace with my goal! There have been so many phenomenal things happening in my life that I have not even been able to provide the level of involvement with the site that I’ve wanted for this year. Health, wealth, & relationships have all been pretty good for me lately. But I do want to provide decent and regular content for the site.
That being said, I’m allowing related posts to be put up from outside writers which is a first for me. But hopefully it is one that will provide fresh new topics and content that will be valuable to those who find this site. I look forward to seeing what comes of this.
If you would like to write something for the site related to personal development, get in touch with me via any of the means on my “Contact” page. I’ll be happy to provide you with backlinks to your site in exchange of course.
One of the things I mentioned earlier in the year is implementing systems to make your life easier. I’m trying to follow my own advice with this change. Of course I will still write to my best ability from time to time when the inspiration hits me. Enjoy the new stuff and write me to let me know if anything stands out for you. 
Just Say No
Every day is a never ending battle against the time wasters in your life. People, things, email, errands, and all kinds of other little knick knacks are competing for your valuable attention. You have to decide where to focus it to get the biggest return on investment of your time. Ultimately, how good of a return you got will be up to you to define.
I played Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 for a few hours tonight after not having played it much in the last 3 weeks. That made me happy and feel ready to leave it alone again for a while. Now I’m refreshed and ready to get back to work on my marketing endeavors. Is the PS3 a complete mind-numbing time waster? You bet it is, but it brings a lot of people a lot of joy and they enjoy playing it for hours on end. Controlling the time I spend on it will allow me to enjoy it periodically but still make more time to do the things that get me results in REAL life.
Recognizing that I need to start cutting back on those things that steal my precious time is my biggest task for this year. Checking email less, playing video games less, and talking on the phone less are all things I plan on implementing. It’s hard to cut back if you’ve already accepted these things as the norm and are saying “yes” to them on a subconscious level. It doesn’t matter what Jim Carrey did in the movie “Yes Man”. It was just a metaphor for experiencing life more fully and not turning your back on what could become a great experience. In order to have those experiences, you have to say “no” to the things that are pulling the wool over your eyes and keeping you bogged down by a million pointless tasks that either can wait, aren’t important, or can be ignored altogether.
My question of the day is this: What can you say “no” to more often so that you can make more time for the things that deserve a “yes”?
